Arizona Wildcats add UNC Tar Heels to The Growing List of Postseason Upsets
After a grueling three-game weekend in the heat, the North Carolina Tar Heels have reached the end of the road. The Road to Omaha, that is.The team that ACC analyst Danny Graves said could win it all fell short by just one run in game three of their super regional matchup against the Arizona Wildcats. The Heels, who ended their postseason run in Omaha last season, had everything laid out nicely for them. A 14-0 starting pitcher, a top-ranked spot in the D1 Baseball weekly rankings, and a home field advantage. However, things never work out how they’re supposed to.
On day one of the Chapel Hill Super Regional, it was all Tar Heels. Despite an early lead from the Wildcats with a solo home run in the top of the first, the Heels played like the top-ranked team they were. The Carolina batters put up runs against the Wildcats in all but the third and fifth innings. It was pure offensive domination for the boys in Carolina blue as they scored 18 runs on the Wildcats’ pitching staff. High on a massive 16-point victory, fans expected day two of play to be a breeze. A quick and easy punch on their ticket to Omaha.
On Saturday, the Wildcats had something to fight for, and the Tar Heels' pitching staff could not fend them off. Bats were hot on both sides of the game. The Heels and Wildcats scored a combined 18 runs. Unlike day one, the Wildcats kept the upper hand offensively and defensively. While the Heels scored eight runs on the Wildcat pitchers, it wasn’t enough. In a four-run seventh inning, the Wildcats secured their lead and forced a game three.
Sun, 80-degree heat and North Carolina humidity for the third day in a row made for a less-than-ideal game three for both teams. Batting slowed down immensely, but the Heels pulled ahead early. A three-run home run from senior Jackson Van De Brake in the bottom of the third inning gave Carolina a two-point lead, and after four scoreless innings, it appeared that the game was theirs for the taking. But the powerhouse Tar Heels started to slow down, falling victim to the Wildcat bullpen, unable to add to their lead. All it took was a three-run lead for the Wildcats in the top of the eighth to put an end to the dominant 45-15 Tar Heels. The Wildcats have punched their ticket to Omaha, and the UNC Tar Heels will be added to the long list of upsets in the 2025 season.
